1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method for adding a new texture to an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
TV Digital broadcasting has recently started, and the resolution and image quality have been enhanced compared to the analog broadcasting so far. To further enhance the image quality, expression of a texture is important. If a texture component as a design/pattern component is degraded or disappeared in an image, the feel of a material will inevitably be reduced. In such a case, the feel of the material can be enhanced by adding a high-frequency texture component.
Li-Yi Wei, Marc Levoy, “Fast Texture Synthesis using Tree-structured Vector Quantization,” Proc. SIGGRAPH, 2000, pp. 479-488, 2000, for example, has proposed a technique of generating a seamless texture image of an arbitrary size from a sample texture of a small size. The thus generated texture image is perceived as if patterns similar to the sample texture were connected seamlessly.
The above technique, however, cannot generate an image with a new texture component added thereto, in which shades and/or the orientations of textures contained in an original image as a conversion target are unchanged.